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Bayetti C, Bakhshi P, Davar B, Khemka GC, Kothari P, Kumar M, Kwon W, Mathias K, Mills C, Montenegro CR, Trani JF, Jain S. Critical reflections on the concept and impact of "scaling up" in Global Mental Health. Transcult Psychiatry 2023; 60:602-609. [PMID: 37491885 PMCID: PMC7615199 DOI: 10.1177/13634615231183928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
The field of Global Mental Health (GMH) aims to address the global burden of mental illness by focusing on closing the "treatment gap" faced by many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To increase access to services, GMH prioritizes "scaling up" mental health services, primarily advocating for the export of Western centred and developed biomedical and psychosocial "evidence-based" approaches to the Global South. While this emphasis on scalability has resulted in the increased availability of mental health services in some LMICs, there have been few critical discussions of this strategy. This commentary critically appraises the scalability of GMH by questioning the validity and sustainability of its approach. We argue that the current approach emphasizes the development of mental health services and interventions in "silos," focusing on the treatment of mental illnesses at the exclusion of a holistic and contextualized approach to people's needs. We also question the opportunities that the current approach to GMH offers for the growth of mental health programmes of local NGOs and investigate the potential pitfalls that scalability may have on NGOs' impact and ability to innovate. This commentary argues that any "scaling up" of mental health services must place sustainability at the core of its mission by favouring the growth and development of local solutions and wider forms of support that prioritize social inclusion and long-lasting mental health recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Bayetti
- Brown School, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - P Bakhshi
- School of Occupational Therapy, Washington University in St Louis, MO, USA
| | - B Davar
- Executive Director, Transforming Communities for Inclusion (TCI) Managing Trustee, Bapu Trust for Research on Mind & Discourse, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - G C Khemka
- Brown School, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - P Kothari
- Iswar Sankalpa (NGO), Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - M Kumar
- Founder & Clinical Director, MHAT, India
| | - W Kwon
- University of Edinburgh Business School, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - K Mathias
- Burans, Herbertpur Christian Hospital, Dehradun, India
- Faculty of Health, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - C Mills
- School of Health and Psychological Sciences, City, University of London
| | - C R Montenegro
- Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, University of Exeter, UK
- School of Nursing, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
| | - J F Trani
- Brown School, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - S Jain
- School of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh, UK
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